24 March 2025
Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with Oldham band Jesus Knievel to find out more…
Who is in the band, how did you meet, where are you from and how did you come up with the name?
Richie Gradwell (drums)
Ste Morris (guitar/vocals/keys)
Pete Smyth (bass)
Ste and Richie met years ago at school when Ste accidentally plowed into Richie with a misjudged tackle on the all weather pitch. They later met Pete through a group of friends. Many of whom worked at HMV in Manchester city centre. One night in the pub one of us came up with the name Jesus Knievel and imagined a whimsical band with that name and the sort of quirky music they might make. Then we decided to just do it and JK was born.
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
We grew up in the 80s and 90s and as such were influenced by many of the obvious artists of the time – The Stone Roses, The Smiths, Radiohead, Beck etc. But we also had a great love of older bands. Ste loved Led Zeppelin, Arthur Lee and Love and Bigstar. Richie was big on rock and often could be found at AC/DC gigs and the like. While Pete liked more underground stuff like Yo La Tengo, Butthole Surfers and Dinosaur Junior.
Nowadays, whilst we still love all that older stuff our tastes have widened. Amongst the millions of artists we like are Tapes and Tapes, White Denim, English Teacher, Regina Spektor, Henge, Ask My Bull, Sugar Crease, The Beths and Heavy Salad.
How would you describe your sound?
Encompassing everything from psychedelia, punk, pop, country and funk, we take great pride in creating a joyous, genre smashing sound that defies easy categorisation.
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
“The Bee in the Middle” is a tale of a wayward bee that finds itself far from its home, the hive. It encounters a discarded bottle of mead and drowns its sorrows. Upon returning to the hive, the “Bee Bouncers” on the door refuse to let it in because it’s intoxicated. This is indeed a natural behaviour observed in bees. The song is inspired by the bees of Greater Manchester.
What’s your local music scene like?
Our local music scene is extremely vibrant. We live in a close knit community that has a surprising number of bands and some great venues. There’s a lot of talent and a lot enthusiasm for live, original music. Shout out to The Railway, Greenfield and The Vale, Mossley that are particularly great venues. Also shout out to our fellow local DIY bands doing original music. To name but a few, Perspex Leslie, Sugar Crease, Heavy Salad, Madame Claude, Brain Page, Dead Sea Apes, Stepford Wives, The Dirt and Colour it Red.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
For the next twelve months, apart from the gigs mentioned, we’ll also be recording another EP later this year and creating more music videos. We’re excited about expanding our audience and sharing the JK sound with as many people as possible.
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Pretty much anyone still living on our list of influences would be a dream. But the most rewarding collaborations we’ve done are those with our fellow local musicians and this really helps the local scene so we’d love to do more to build on this.
Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
We once did a gig at Crewe Limelight club to no one… Well, not quite. The sound man and the bar person really enjoyed it!
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
We just want people to know that our gigs are a safe space for everyone. The dance floor is often filled by a diverse range of people wanting to dance and party.
Upcoming live dates and performances
Friday 18th April 2025 – The Railway, Greenfield, Oldham – “Well Good Friday”
Saturday 26th April 2025 – The Globe, Glossop
Friday 23rd May 2025 – “Glossfest”, Glossop Music Festival
Friday 8th August 2025 – Whittles, Oldham
Saturday 13th September 2025 – The Globe, Glossop
Saturday 11th October 2025 – Banktop Tavern, Oldham
Sunday 21st December 2025 – The Railway, Greenfield, Oldham
You can find out more about Jesus Knievel via Apple Music, Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, TikTok or YouTube.
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